Chapter 2: Food Chain and Food Webs

What is an omnivore?

Animals and people who eat BOTH animals and plants are called omnivores.

What is a consumer?

Animals cannot make their own food so they must eat plants and/or other animals. They are called consumers. There are three types of consumers.

What is a herbivore?

Animals that eat ONLY PLANTS are called herbivores (or primary consumers)

What is a carnivore?

Animals that eat OTHER ANIMALS are called carnivores.

What happens to the amount of consumers in a food chain?

...as we go further along a food chain, there are fewer and fewer consumers.

What can you substitute the arrows in a food chain or web by?

...in other words, you can substitute the arrows with the words "eaten by"

How is a food chain developed?

A food chain always starts with plant life and ends with an animal.

Starred information

All food chains and webs are powered by the sun's energy.

What happens to the amount of energy?

Because of the large amount of energy that is lost at each link, the amount of energy that is transferred gets lesser and lesser.

What is a secondary consumer?

Carnivores that eat herbivores are called secondary consumers.

What is a tertiary consumer?

Carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary consumers. For example, killer whales in an ocean food web-->phytoplankton-->small fishes-->seals-->killer whales

What is the difference between a food web and a food chain?

Food webs show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help them survive. Food chains follow just one path as animals find food.

What happens in a food chain?

In a food chain, energy is passed from one link to another.

What makes a food web?

Most animals are part of more than one food chain and eat more than one kind of food in order to meet their food and energy requirements. These interconnected food chains form a food web.

How many links are in a food chain?

Most food chains have no more than four or five links.

Why are plants called producers?

Plants are called producers because they are able to use light energy from the Sun to produce food (sugar) from carbon dioxide and water.

What happens to the amount of energy in a food chain?

The further along the food chain you go, the less food (and hence energy) remains available.

What is a decomposer?

Then there are decomposers (bacteria and fungi) which feed on decaying matter.

Why can't there be too many links?

There cannot be too many links in a food chain because the animals at the end of the chain would not get enough food (and hence energy) to stay alive.

Where do animals get the energy they need and why do they need the energy?

You get energy from the food you eat. Similarity, all living things get energy from their food so that they can move and grow. As food passes through the body, some of it is digested. This process of digestion releases energy.